Around 54% of Americans make New Year’s resolutions each year. Among those, only about 8% are successful at keeping them. However, some studies show that people who make resolutions are more likely to obtain their goals at some point as compared to those that never make resolutions. About 75% of people are able to keep their resolutions during the first week and about 46% of people are able to make it about 6 months.
Can you guess the top New Years Resolutions for 2022?
- Lose weight
- Get out of debt
- Stop smoking
Other popular resolutions include getting a higher education, getting a better job, getting out of debt, volunteering more, doing more traveling, or finding a significant other.
We are going to share some of our favorite apps & tips for keeping your New Year resolutions, but if you follow just one thing, our suggestion is to change the way you think & set goals! Rather than setting very specific goals like I want to save $5,000 or lose 50 pounds, choose a word of the year. For example, the word “commit” can encompass so many things. You can commit to eat healthier, exercise, spend more time with family, be more patient, or eat out less, which incidentally will also help with weight loss and saving money.
Other popular words of the year include simplify, calm, focus, believe, wellness, explore, align, inspire, improve, balance, organize, mindful, discipline, grounded, brave, listen, embrace, elevate, imagine, grace, joy, pause, purpose, conquer, treasure, finish & thrive. Which word can you say you’re 100% committed to? Choose that one! Then use that word of the year each and every day in some aspect of your life.
Other tips on how can you stay on track?
- Set realistic goals. One of the reasons why so many people aren’t able to keep their resolutions is that their goals simply aren’t realistic. To stay on track, experts say to make small, reasonable goals. So if you want to lose 25 pounds, start with an attainable goal of 2 pounds per month. Perhaps reconsider a resolution – instead of setting a specific amount of pounds you want to lose, why not commit to working out a few times per week? If you make a date with friends to hike or bike ride often, you are more likely to do it so you don’t let others down.
- Set Mini goals. Feeling accomplished is important and success builds on success. Why not set simple goals that are easily attainable such as… spending more time with people that make you happy, take the stairs instead of the elevator (or park a bit further away) to increase walking, put down your phone when spending time with people or to un-follow negative people on social media.
- Remember that success takes time. Many people break their New Year’s resolutions because they get discouraged. Things like quitting smoking or losing weight don’t happen overnight. If your goal is to get out of debt, why not start with saving $25 per paycheck or giving up a habit like buying coffee out several times per week. Perhaps set up an auto-draft so a set amount of money goes into your savings account automatically. You’d be surprised how you can gradually start saving money by making just a few minor changes.
- Be accountable. Don’t just make New Year’s resolutions, tell others about them. You are more likely to achieve your goals if you have others around you that will help keep you on track. The extra motivation and accountability may be the only things standing in the way of you being able to keep your resolution. Also, if you share your goals/resolutions with at least one person, you may feel more pressure to stick to them, and you can also receive support and encouragement.
Here are some Apps to Help You Keep Your New Years Resolutions
Resolution to Lose Weight: My Fitness Pal. Of course, there are a ton of free apps that help with weight loss goals, but this happens to be my favorite. I love that I can scan my food items from my phone and that it keeps details for me from how many calories and carbs I had in a day, to how much sugar and fat as well. You can log in to exercise and even turn your phone into a pedometer. I love knowing daily whether I was under or over my calorie goals and how much I will weigh in a few weeks down the road if I continue on this path. (Free on iTunes and Google Play). Want to know more about those ingredients on a label? Fooducate is preferred by many people over My Fitness Pal. You can scan barcodes of over 250,000 foods to see & track the nutrition. You can also track sleep, activity & even your mood. True Food is a good app to use so you can see if you really want to dig into all of the ingredients in various foods & avoid genetically modified foods. You may think twice about taking a bite once you know all of the artificial ingredients. Lifesum: Diet & Macro Tracker is a personal diet plan, food tracker, calorie counter & healthy recipes, all in one place.
Resolution to Quit Smoking: The National Cancer Institute along with the U.S. Food & Drub Administration created quitSMART. It shares lot of tips and things to distract you including games. The biggest success stories seem to be with those who share their progress with others on Social Media. (Free on iTunes and Google Play) QuitNow, Craving to Quit & MyQuit Coach are other popular options.
Resolution to Get Out of Debt: One of the biggest mistakes can be to not track daily spending. People don’t tend to take into account daily coffee, lunch, and other small expenses that can really add up. With the app MINT, you can keep track of all of your credit card accounts, investments, etc., and then it builds a budget for you. Once you can see everything in front of you, it is often easy to cut back on certain expenses. (Free on iTunes and Google Play) Unbury.Me & Tally are other apps with good ratings.
Saving money is a very big resolution for many & can be difficult particularly if you are in debt. It does not make sense to save a lot of money when you have high-interest credit cards BUT sometimes you just have to take a vacation or splurge a bit and apps like Mvelopes can help. You can create online envelopes that allow you to create different spending and savings “envelopes” and set a spending limit for each. You can sync multiple accounts including checking, savings, and credit cards, and create envelopes to set aside funds to pay bills.
Manage Stress: Sometimes we just forget to take a moment to breathe or appreciate the things around us. We like the app Pacifica which helps you track and analyze your mood each day and give you tools to address behaviors and focus on relaxation. If you are interested in meditation, try the Stress-Free app with Andrew Johnson. Just put your headphones on and sit back and relax. Worry Watch has you track your mood and mental state over time so that you can try and identify stressors. Based on your responses, the app generates charts and statistics to help you analyze your thought patterns & maybe even realize that your worrying didn’t change the outcome of a situation.
Drink More Water: I don’t know about anyone else but this is a tough one for me. Although I drink some water daily, I rarely each the minimum recommended 64 ounces. There are apps that let you set goals and keep track of how much water you have had. I-phone users can use Daily Water Free and Android users WaterDrink Reminder to help you get on the right track. Perhaps one of the best-known water drinking apps out there, Plant Nanny lives up to its reputation. Who wants to be responsible for plants dying? These cute plants count on you to keep them watered. Aloe Bud is also super cute. You can customize reminders for anything from drinking water to your bedtime but note that it does not total the amount of water you consume in a day – it’s just for reminders.
Resolution to Give Back: If you want to volunteer your time, you can find events in your area on Volunteer Finder for I-phones or Volunteer Near You for Androids. Budge is an app that lets you make a bet with friends or family and turn it into a fundraiser. If you have a weight loss challenge for example or helping a friend quit smoking, whoever loses the challenge will donate to a charity of your choice. Johnson and Johnson will donate a $1 for every photo that you upload onto their site with this app. You can donate up to 1 photo per day. Read more at Donate a Photo. GiveTide lets you round up a purchase and donate that amount to a charity of your choice. Once you download the app, connect a credit or debit card, and start shopping. Each purchase will be rounded up to the nearest dollar, and the change donated. Beam
Resolution to Learn a New Language: Want to learn a new language before you travel to a foreign country? We like Duolingo. Learn languages completely free, without ads or hidden charges. It’s fun, easy, and scientifically proven. How do they make their money? Well once you feel confident enough, you take a lesson to translate something from another language to English and they get paid for the translation. They also charge for those that want to be certified in a particular language. Memrise & Babbel are good options.
Gain New Skills: Whether you want to learn about photography, web design, academics, or just for personal development, you can take classes online through websites such as Udemy.com and Coursera.
Read More: Pocket is an app that helps you keep articles, blogs & informative videos in one place so that you can access them later. All content will be available on your phone even without access to the internet.
Journaling: Keeping a journal offers a clear-cut way to stay on top of your New Year’s resolutions and what’s really important in your life. The Gratitude Journal is an app that guides you to write down all the positive things in your life and the things you are grateful for. It helps you put things into perspective. The app costs $1.99.
Keep Track of Several New Year’s Resolutions All in One Place: We love the app Strides. Strides goals & habits tracker is the perfect app for overachievers who set multiple New Year’s resolutions & want to keep track of them all in one place. Set up weight loss goals, paying off debt, etc., and then the app will show you how you are progressing, giving you a tangible marker for success in achieving your personal milestones. The app is free, or you can pay $4.99 a month to unlock additional features.
As you reflect on the year that is coming to a close and prepare for the New Year ahead, we encourage you to dream about where you want to go and what you want to experience. Throughout 2022, we will continue to share travel information and great vacation options, plus once a month we’ll spotlight one of our favorite destinations or experiences.
We wish you a wonderful new year filled with health, abundance, joy, and treasured moments.
Other New Year’s posts that may interest you:
New Years Traditions and Superstitions
New Years Lucky Foods
Popular App Blogs:
Best Apps to Split Travel Expenses
Apps that Help You Stick to Fitness Goals While Traveling
Apps to Spice up your Instagram & Snapchat Posts
Best Apps to Find Food While Traveling
Apps to Relieve Stress
